When you are dehydrated, it is important to replace lost fluids and electrolytes quickly. The best things to drink depend on the cause and severity of dehydration. Quick answers to common questions about the best drinks for dehydration include:
- For mild dehydration from exercise or heat, sports drinks with electrolytes are ideal.
- For moderate dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting, try oral rehydration solutions.
- For severe dehydration requiring medical care, intravenous fluids are used.
- Water is a good option for mild dehydration, but does not contain needed electrolytes.
- Coffee and tea are not recommended as they can further dehydrate you.
- Fruit juices and sodas are high in sugar and can make diarrhea worse.
- Alcoholic beverages cause further dehydration and should always be avoided.
The best drink depends on your specific situation. Read on to learn more about the types, causes, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of dehydration and the optimal fluids to drink based on your case.
What is Dehydration?
Dehydration occurs when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount taken in. It develops when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions.
Anyone can become dehydrated, but infants, young children, older adults and people with chronic diseases are most at risk. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.
Dehydration is classified as mild, moderate or severe based on how much of your body’s fluid is missing. Symptoms usually increase in severity from mild to moderate to severe dehydration.
Mild Dehydration
Signs of mild dehydration include:
- Thirst
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue or weakness
- Headache
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Muscle cramps
Moderate Dehydration
Moderate dehydration signs and symptoms include:
- Extreme thirst
- Irritability and confusion
- Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes
- Lack of sweating
- Little or no urination, and any urine color that is highly concentrated and yellow or amber
- Rapid heartbeat
- Breathing rapidly
- Sunken eyes
- In infants, sunken soft spot (fontanelle) on top of the head
- Sleepiness or coma
Severe Dehydration
The hallmarks of severe dehydration include:
- Extreme thirst
- Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn’t bounce back when pinched into a fold
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid and weak pulse
- Rapid and shallow breathing
- No urine output or very dark yellow urine
- Dry membranes in nose, mouth, eyes and throat
- Unconsciousness
- Seizures
- Brain damage
- Organ failure
- Death
Severe dehydration is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Call 911 or get the person to an emergency room immediately.
Causes of Dehydration
There are four major types of dehydration, each with different causes:
1. Water Loss Dehydration
This is the most common type of dehydration, occurring when the body loses water through:
- Sweating, especially with exercise and in hot climates
- Fever and sweating from illness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Infants and children lose more fluid through vomiting and diarrhea compared to adults. This puts them at higher risk of water loss dehydration.
2. Salt Loss Dehydration
This type of dehydration is caused by losing sodium and other electrolytes through:
- Heavy sweating during prolonged exercise or while working outdoors in hot weather
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
The loss of sodium disrupts the normal fluid balance and thereby increases water loss.
3. Potassium Loss Dehydration
Like sodium, potassium is an important electrolyte. Low potassium levels can occur due to:
- Prolonged bouts of diarrhea and vomiting
- Malnutrition
- Certain medications like diuretics and laxatives
Potassium loss further disrupts fluid balance.
4. Dehydration from Illness
Certain illnesses like diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemia cause abnormal fluid loss. Inability to swallow due to neurological disease can also lead to fluid deficits.
Risk Factors for Dehydration
While dehydration can affect anyone, the following factors place you at higher risk:
- Infants and young children due to their greater fluid turnover and need for fluids
- Older adults with decreased sense of thirst and reduced ability to conserve water
- Those living in hot, humid climates or at high altitudes
- Endurance athletes who sweat heavily over long periods
- People who work outdoors in hot weather
- Travelers susceptible to diarrhea
- People with chronic diseases like diabetes and kidney disorders
- Recurrent vomiting from morning sickness or chemotherapy
- Frequent diarrhea
- Hyperthyroidism or diabetes insipidus causing increased urine output
- Burn victims with extensive skin damage
- Alcoholics at risk of fluid losses from vomiting and diarrhea
- Those on diuretics or blood pressure medications that deplete electrolytes
Paying attention to your fluid intake and output, risk factors, and dehydration symptoms allows early intervention before complications occur.
Diagnosing Dehydration
Dehydration is often diagnosed based on symptoms, physical signs, and an examination of risk factors. Your doctor may assess the severity of dehydration by:
- Monitoring vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, capillary refill, skin elasticity, and color
- Examining urine output and concentration
- Ordering blood tests to check electrolytes, renal function, and acid-base balance
- Checking weight before and after fluid replacement since every liter of fluid loss equals roughly a kilogram of weight loss
Treating Dehydration
Treatment aims to replace lost fluids and electrolytes and prevent further fluid loss. Options include:
Oral Rehydration
Drinking fluids by mouth is the simplest treatment for mild to moderate dehydration. The best drinks depend on the specific electrolyte imbalances.
Intravenous Fluids
Severe dehydration requires rapid replacement of water and electrolytes through IV infusion. Once stabilized with IV fluids, most patients can transition back to oral rehydration.
Underlying Conditions
It’s vital to also treat any underlying condition causing fluid loss, like diarrhea, vomiting, fever or diabetes.
What Should You Drink When Dehydrated?
The optimal fluids to drink depend on the degree of dehydration, type of electrolyte imbalance, and underlying cause. Options include:
Water
For mild dehydration with minimal salt loss like when sweating, plain water helps restore fluids. But it lacks electrolytes, so it’s not ideal with severe dehydration or salt loss.
Sports Drinks
These contain sugars, salts, and electrolytes, making them ideal for rehydrating after exercise or sports. The additional sodium and minerals also benefit those with gastrointestinal losses from vomiting or diarrhea.
Oral Rehydration Solutions
These special fluids are used to treat dehydration from diarrhea worldwide. They contain water, sugar, and salts in specific proportions to optimally replenish fluid and electrolyte losses.
| Electrolyte | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Sodium | 75 mEq/L |
| Chloride | 65 mEq/L |
| Potassium | 20 mEq/L |
| Citrate | 10 mmol/L |
| Glucose | 20 g/L (110 mmol/L) |
Pedialyte
This commercial oral rehydration solution is formulated for infants and children to treat dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting. It contains water, salts, sugar, and zinc.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is naturally high in potassium and electrolytes. For mild dehydration, it can be as effective as a commercial sports drink. But it contains less sodium than formulated products.
Fruit Juices
Juices like apple juice provide fluids, carbohydrates, potassium, and antioxidants. However, they can worsen diarrhea and so are not recommended in these cases.
Vegetable Broths and Soups
Clear broths help replenish water and salt losses, especially if you add a pinch of salt. Vegetables and chicken provide potassium and other nutrients.
Tea
All types of tea can help with mild dehydration. Black tea in particular helps restore fluids and electrolytes. Avoid strong tea or caffeine, which act as diuretics.
Almond Milk
Providing fluid, potassium, and protein, unsweetened almond milk is a good choice for vegans/vegetarians with mild dehydration. It’s lower in sugar than coconut water or juice.
Skim Milk
Skim milk provides fluids, electrolytes like potassium and sodium, carbohydrates and protein. The lactose may worsen diarrhea though.
Oral Rehydration Powders
These powders allow portable, easy preparation of DIY oral rehydration solutions using clean water. Brands like DripDrop ORS and Pedialyte powder are available.
Intravenous Fluids and Hospital Care
If you cannot drink or keep down fluids, IV saline and electrolyte solutions may be given to restore volume. Hospital care is needed for severe dehydration with organ damage.
Foods to Help Rehydration
Along with drinking optimal fluids, you can boost electrolytes and nutrition with foods like:
- Yogurt, kefir, cheeses to get sodium, potassium, protein
- Soups, broths to provide sodium
- Fruits like melons, oranges, pineapples for potassium and fluids
- Cooked cereals, rice, quinoa, oats to get carbohydrates for energy
- Vegetables like tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, avocados for potassium
- Coconut water and real coconut pieces for potassium and electrolytes
- Pretzels, crackers, chips, salted nuts provide sodium
- Smoothies with fruits, milk/yogurt, spinach/kale, and honey for broad nutrition
Avoid overly sweet or fatty foods, spicy foods, caffeinated drinks, and alcohol, which can make dehydration worse.
Preventing Dehydration
You can take steps to avoid becoming dehydrated in the first place:
- Drink fluids regularly throughout the day even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Increase fluid intake during hot weather, humid climates, high altitudes, or prolonged exercise.
- Avoid alcohol and limit caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and soda that act as diuretics.
- Monitor urine color to keep it light yellow. Dark yellow means you need to drink more.
- Replace fluids lost from diarrhea, vomiting. sweating.
- Weigh yourself before and after exercise to check for water loss.
- Watch for early signs of dehydration like fatigue and headache.
- Treat conditions like diabetes that increase fluid loss.
- Boost dietary potassium, sodium, carbohydrates.
- Recognize those at high risk like young children and elders.
Consuming optimal fluids and electrolytes for your situation allows you to bounce back quickly from mild dehydration. Seek medical care promptly for moderate or severe dehydration to prevent serious complications.
Conclusion
Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in, leading to an electrolyte imbalance. The ideal drinks to treat dehydration depend on the severity, whether electrolytes like sodium are depleted, and if vomiting or diarrhea is causing ongoing losses.
For mild dehydration with minimal salt loss, water and fruit juices may be sufficient. Sports drinks containing sugar and electrolytes work well after exercise or losses from vomiting/diarrhea. Oral rehydration solutions are formulated to optimally replenish electrolyte and fluid deficits from diarrhea. Severe dehydration requires IV fluids and hospital care.
Besides drinking the right fluids, you can boost your hydration and nutrition status by eating foods rich in electrolytes and potassium. Preventing dehydration through adequate fluid intake day-to-day, monitoring risk factors, and recognizing early signs allows quick correction before it becomes severe. Drink smart when dehydrated, and seek medical care if signs progress.